Refurbished Samsung Galaxy Note 7 may be launched soon

Samsung may not be yet done with its Galaxy Note 7 as reports indicate that the Korean consumer electronics giant is planning to start selling refurbished Galaxy Note 7 smartphones as early as June this year.

According to a report by South Korean publication ET News, the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 will be available in its home market from three network providers in June. The report goes on to claim that 300,000 devices of the total three to four million of recalled units will be made available in South Korea.

The recycled smartphone is said to be called the Galaxy Note 7 R (SM-935), and will reportedly priced around 700,000 won (or approx Rs. 39,708). That’s about 300,000 (or approx Rs. 17,081) cheaper than the original Galaxy Note 7.

ET News notes that the Galaxy Note 7 R is expected to pack a smaller, 3,200mAh battery instead of 3,500mAh cell on the Note 7. This rumour sounds believable to some extent, given the fact that the Galaxy Note 7 was permanently pulled from the market last year due to battery defects. It seems that Samsung may have solved the Galaxy Note 7’s biggest flaw by replacing the battery in the refurbished model.

Samsung had earlier confirmed that it would start selling refurbished units of the Galaxy Note 7 after discussions with relevant regulatory authorities and carriers. The move is apparently intended to reduce environmental impact of all the devices returned after the company was forced to issue a recall.

Samsung recalled an estimated four million units of the Note 7 over concerns that batteries could overheat and burst into flames. The issue was so big that authorities in the US and elsewhere banned the phone to be used on planes.